Biological wastes, which includes blood and blood
products, excretions, exudates, secretions, suctionings and other body
fluids that cannot be directly discarded into a municipal sewer system,
and waste materials saturated with blood or body fluids, but does not
include diapers soiled with urine or feces.

Cultures and stocks, which includes etiologic agents
and associated biologicals, including specimen cultures and dishes
and devices used to transfer, inoculate and mix cultures, wastes from
production of biologicals, and serums and discarded live and attenuated
vaccines. "Cultures" does not include throat and urine cultures.

Pathological waste, which includes biopsy materials
and all human tissues, anatomical parts that emanate from surgery,
obstetrical procedures, autopsy and laboratory procedures and animal
carcasses exposed to pathogens in research and the bedding and other
waste from such animals. "Pathological waste" does not include teeth
or formaldehyde or other preservative agents.

Sharps, which includes needles, IV tubing with needles
attached, scalpel blades, lancets, glass tubes that could be broken
during handling and syringes that have been removed from their original
sterile containers.

Medical waste is a solid waste generated as a result
of patient diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animal.
Medical waste, other than infectious waste or hazardous wastes, may be
disposed of without special treatment in permitted municipal solid waste
landfills, if such disposal is not prohibited in the permit.

Managing Infectious Waste

Restrictions on Discarding, Storing or Transporting
Infectious Waste

No person who generates infectious waste shall discard
or store the waste, except as provided in the regulations.

No person shall transport infectious waste other
than infectious waste that is an incidental part of other solid waste,
except as provided in the regulations.

Segregation, Containment, Storage, Packaging
and Labeling

Infectious waste shall be segregated from other
wastes by separate containment at the point of generation. Enclosures
used for storage of infectious waste shall be secured to prevent access
by unauthorized persons and shall be marked with prominent warning
signs.

Infectious waste, except for sharps, shall be contained
in disposable red plastic bags or containers made of other materials
impervious to moisture and strong enough to prevent ripping, tearing
or bursting under normal conditions of use. The bags or containers
shall be closed to prevent leakage or expulsion of solid or liquid
wastes during storage, collection or transportation.

Sharps shall be contained for storage, collection,
transportation and disposal in leak proof, rigid, puncture-resistant
red containers that are taped closed or tightly lidded to prevent loss
of the contents. Sharps may be stored in such containers for more than
seven days.

All bags, boxes or other containers for infectious
waste and rigid containers of discarded sharps shall be clearly identified
as containing infectious waste.

Infectious waste shall be stored at temperatures
and only for times established by rules of the Department of Human
Services.

Infectious waste shall not be compacted before treatment
and shall not be placed for collection, storage or transportation in
a portable or mobile trash compactor.

Infectious waste contained in disposable bags shall
be placed for collection, storage, handling or transportation in a
disposable or reusable pail, carton, box, drum, dumpster, portable
bin or similar container. The container shall have a tight fitting
cover and be kept clean and in good repair. The container may be of
any color and shall be conspicuously labeled with the international
biohazard symbol and the words "Biomedical Waste" on the sides so as
to be readily visible from any lateral direction when the container
is upright.

Each time a reusable container for infectious waste
is emptied, the container shall be thoroughly washed and decontaminated
unless the surfaces of the container have been protected from contamination
by a disposable red liner, bag or other device removed with the waste.

Trash chutes shall not be used to transfer infectious
waste between locations where it is contained or stored.

Exemption:
Generators that produce 50 pounds or less of infectious waste in any
calendar month are exempt from the requirements pertaining to containers
holding disposable red bags.

Treatment and Disposal of Infectious Waste

Pathological
wastes shall be treated by incineration in an incinerator that provides
complete combustion of waste to carbonized or mineralized ash. The ash
shall be disposed of as provided in the regulations. However, if the
Department of Environmental Quality determines that incineration is not
reasonably available within a waste shed, pathological wastes may be
disposed of in the same manner provided for cultures and stocks.

Cultures
and stocks shall be incinerated as described in the regulations or sterilized
by other means prescribed by Department of Human Services rule. Sterilized
waste may be disposed of in a permitted land disposal site if it is not
otherwise classified as hazardous waste.

Liquid
or soluble semisolid biological wastes may be discharged into a sewage
treatment system that provides secondary treatment of waste.

Sharps
and biological wastes may be incinerated, or sterilized by other permitted
means. Sharps may be disposed of in a permitted land disposal site only
if the sharps are in containers as required by the regulations and are
placed in a segregated area of the landfill.

Other
methods of treatment and disposal may be approved by rule of the Environmental
Quality Commission.

Infectious Waste Storage Times and Temperature

Infectious waste shall be segregated from other
wastes by separate containment at the point of generation.

Enclosures used for storage of infectious waste
shall be secured to prevent access by unauthorized persons and marked
with prominent warning signs.

Pathological waste, biological waste and cultures/stocks
shall be treated or disposed within seven days of generation, unless
it is refrigerated (between 33 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit) or frozen
(less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Refrigerated or frozen infectious
waste may be stored 30 days prior to treatment or disposal.

Prior to being treated, sharps contained in a leak
proof, rigid, puncture resistant container which is taped closed or
tightly lidded to prevent loss of the contents may be stored indefinitely.

Generators that produce 50 pounds or less of infectious
waste in any calendar month shall be exempt from the requirements pertaining
to storage times and temperatures.

Transporting Infectious Waste—Certification
and Recordkeeping

Each
person who transports infectious waste for consideration, other than
waste that is an incidental part of other solid waste, shall:

Provide written certification to a person who discards
more than 50 pounds per month of infectious waste that such waste will
be disposed of in compliance with the regulations; and

Maintain records showing the point of origin
and date and place of final disposal of infectious waste collected
from generators. A copy of these records shall be given to the generator
or the Department of Environmental Quality upon request.

In addition to the state medical waste environmental
regulations there are some Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) rules that apply to medical/infectious waste. Oregon is
one of 21 states operating an approved occupational safety and health
program. This program is operated by the Oregon Occupational Safety and
Health Division. OSHA rules (Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens
Standards) impact various aspects of medical/infectious waste, including
management of sharps, requirements for containers that hold or store
medical/infectious waste, labeling of medical/infectious waste bags/containers,
and employee training. These requirements can be found in the VetCA
section entitled OSHA Standards for Regulated Waste.